Michigan Commercial Mechanical Contracting (MC²) removed and replaced the failing commercial kitchen ventilation system at Royal Oak Tap House in Royal Oak, Michigan. The project was structured as a two-phase install — a new make-up air unit and exhaust fan for the back hood first, with a full front-hood replacement scheduled for the restaurant's slow season — so the owner could open on time without exceeding his build-out budget.

Phase 1 was complete in three days of MC² labor on site, sequenced around the other trades the owner had on the project. Back hood — new make-up air unit and exhaust fan.

• Day 1: Gas line modification and site prep on the rooftop.
• Day 2: The lift day. Crane on the street, equipment set in place on the roof, mechanical and gas connections made.
• Day 3: Start-up and air balance, performed after the electrical contractor finished tying in power.

The gaps between MC² days were intentional. Coordinating around the electrician and the other trades meant returning to site only when the next step could actually move forward. That kept the schedule honest and the owner's labor costs predictable.

Phase 2 will replace the front hood, its undersized ductwork, and the make-up air and exhaust serving it. The work is scheduled for the restaurant's slow season — fall 2026 or 2027 — so it can be executed without taking the kitchen offline during peak service. Front hood — full system replacement, scheduled for the slow season.

Because Phase 1 was engineered as a complete, standalone system, the back hood will continue to operate at full capacity throughout the Phase 2 install.

What made this project different?

Two things separated this project from a routine hood swap.

1. The diagnosis. The job came in as a balance and start-up. A less specialized contractor could easily have lit the equipment off, billed for the balance, and left the inspection failure for someone else to discover. Recognizing the equipment's condition on day one — and being willing to deliver hard news with a real plan attached — protected the owner from a code failure on opening day.
2. The staging. Splitting a kitchen ventilation rebuild into two independent phases is not standard practice. It required engineering Phase 1 as a complete, code-compliant system on its own and treating the front and back hoods as fully independent installations. Done wrong, the owner ends up with half a working kitchen. Done right, he opens on time and finishes the second phase on his own timeline.

The Result?

Phase 1 is complete. The back hood is operational, code-compliant, and certified.

Royal Oak Tap House opens May 5, 2026.